They say their launch in the city has been one of the biggest they’ve ever seen.

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But other firms operating in Cardiff say they too offer online or app booking and that their service is more consistent than Uber when it comes to price and conditions for drivers.

Premier Taxis

Director Tim Mahonay

“We have got no problems with competition. I would imagine it would affect more people like Hackney firms. We already have an app for bookings and you can use cash for it.

“We don’t think it will affect us that much.”

While Uber fares will “surge” depending on demand - so a fare could cost customers more at different times of the day - mr Mahoney says their customers know that if they take a fare on a Monday morning or Saturday night they will cost the same.

He added that his drivers pay the firm a £99 weekly fee but with Uber, drivers pay the company 25% of each fare.

“From our point of view, they won’t be charged any more and it’s still up to them when they work.”

Dragon Taxis

Paul Ragan is chief executive officer of Veezu – which owns Dragon Taxis in Cardiff and Newport and Radio Cabs in Bridgend.

His firm also run Amber cars in Leeds, where Uber has already been introduced.

He says that there , the firm now has more drivers and passengers than it did before Uber arrived.

Mr Ragan said, less than 10% of business in the private hire and taxi sector – which he claims is worth around £9bn – is processed via credit card on a mobile app.

He said: “Uber’s presence in UK regions is undoubtedly forcing smaller taxi firms, who are unable to compete with the consumer mobile app technology, to do or die by either investing in the required technology, merging with firms who already have, or exiting altogether...

“And for those forward-thinking taxi firms who have already invested in cloud-based dispatch software and mobile app technology, Uber, and other application-only businesses, are playing a pivotal role in raising awareness of booking a taxi via an app, which must be seen as a positive.”

Capital Cabs

Director Sharyn Donnachie said: “We at Capital Cabs understand the issues affecting the taxi and private hire trade in Cardiff better than most, the team of staff dealing with these issues 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for almost 30 years. We don’t always get it right but there is always somebody here to speak with if needed and we always do our upmost to correct things.

"Uber are coming to Cardiff but they bring nothing new to the table no new drivers and no new cars they’re just reallocating resources that we already have using an App which is almost as good as ours. When things go wrong they won’t have a team of staff working 24 hours a day to resolve any issues.

"If people stop and think they’ll realise once you get past the hype that Uber doesn’t do anything which the existing companies in Cardiff aren’t already doing. Uber’s business model will take revenue from the local economy which will have a detrimental effect on local people and companies.”